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Vèvè
A ''veve'' (also spelled ''vèvè'' or ''vevè'') is a religious symbol commonly used in different branches of Vodun throughout the African diaspora, such as Haitian Vodou and Louisiana Voodoo. The ''veve'' acts as a "beacon" for the '' lwa'', and will serve as a ''lwa''s representation during rituals. ''Veves'' should not be confused with the '' anaforuanas'' used in Abakuá, the '' firmas'' used in Palo, nor the '' pontos riscados'' used in Umbanda and Quimbanda, as these are separate Afro-American religions. History Possible origins include the cosmogram of the Kongo people, or originated as the Nsibidi system of writing for the Igboid and Ekoid languages from West and Central Africa. Function According to Milo Rigaud, "The ''veves'' represent figures of the astral forces... In the course of Vodou ceremonies, the reproduction of the astral forces represented by the veves obliges the lwa... to descend to earth." Every '' lwa'' has their own unique ''veve'', although regiona ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maman Brigitte
Maman Brigitte ( English: ''Mother Brigitte'') sometimes also written as Manman Brigitte and also known by Gran Brigitte, Grann Brigitte, Manman, Manman Brigit, and Maman Brijit is a death loa (or ''lwa'') and the consort of Baron Samedi in Haitian Vodou. She drinks rum infused with hot peppers and is symbolized by a black rooster.Torres, Rafael Agustí. "Loas y Vèvès del Vudú", pp. 30-31 (in Spanish) Maman Brigitte protects graves in Haitian cemeteries that are marked by the cross of Baron Samedi. Graves that are protected by Brigitte are marked by a mound of stones. In Vodou practice, the first burials serve as offerings to either Baron Samedi or Maman Brigitte depending on the sex of the person being buried: if male, the grave is dedicated to Baron Samedi; if female to Maman Brigitte. Like Samedi and the Guede, she is foul-mouthed. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Religious Symbol
A religious symbol is an iconic representation intended to represent a specific religion, or a specific concept within a given religion. Religious symbols have been used in the military in many countries, such as the United States military chaplain symbols. Similarly, the United States Department of Veterans Affairs emblems for headstones and markers recognize 57 symbols (including a number of symbols expressing non-religiosity). Symbols representing a specific religion Symbolic representation of a specific religious tradition is useful in a society with religious pluralism, as was the case in the Roman Empire, and again in modern multiculturalism. Religious symbolism African Indigenous religions In some African Indigenous religions, there are graphical and pictorial symbols representing the actual religion or faith just like the Abrahamic faith. Each indigenous religion however, has symbolisms which are religious or spiritual in nature. Some of these may be graphical, n ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Central Africa
Central Africa (French language, French: ''Afrique centrale''; Spanish language, Spanish: ''África central''; Portuguese language, Portuguese: ''África Central'') is a subregion of the African continent comprising various countries according to different definitions. Middle Africa is an analogous term used by the United Nations in its United Nations geoscheme for Africa, geoscheme for Africa and consists of the following countries: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and São Tomé and Príncipe. The United Nations Office for Central Africa also includes Burundi and Rwanda in the region, which are considered part of East Africa in the geoscheme. These eleven countries are members of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). Six of those countries (Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and Republic of the Congo) are also members of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Proto-writing
Proto-writing consists of visible marks communication, communicating limited information. Such systems emerged from earlier traditions of symbol systems in the early Neolithic, as early as the 7th millennium BC in History of China, China and History of the Balkans, southeastern Europe. They used ideographic or early mnemonic symbols or both to represent a limited number of concepts, in contrast to true writing systems, which record the language of the writer. Paleolithic Analysis in 2022, led by Bennet Bacon, an amateur archaeologist, showed that lines, dots and "Y"-like symbols on Upper Palaeolithic cave paintings were used to indicate the mating cycle of animals in a lunar calendar. The markings found in over 400 caves across Europe were compared to the mating cycles of the animals with which they were associated, showing a correlation with the month of the year in which the animals depicted in the cave paintings would typically give birth. The markings were 20,000 year ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Magic Symbols
Magic or magick most commonly refers to: * Magic (supernatural), beliefs and actions employed to influence supernatural beings and forces ** ''Magick'' (with ''-ck'') can specifically refer to ceremonial magic * Magic (illusion), also known as stage magic, the art of appearing to perform supernatural feats * Magical thinking, the belief that unrelated events are causally connected, particularly as a result of supernatural effects Magic or magick may also refer to: Art and entertainment Film and television * ''Magic'' (1917 film), a silent Hungarian drama * ''Magic'' (1978 film), an American horror film * ''Magic'', a 1983 Taiwanese film starring Wen Chao-yu * Magic (TV channel), a British music television station Literature * Magic in fiction, the genre of fiction that uses supernatural elements as a theme * '' Magic: A Fantastic Comedy'', a 1913 play by G. K. Chesterton * ''Magic'' (short story collection), a 1996 short story collection by Isaac Asimov * ''Magic' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sigil
A sigil () is a type of symbol used in magic. The term usually refers to a pictorial signature of a spirit (such as an angel, demon, or deity). In modern usage, especially in the context of chaos magic, a sigil refers to a symbolic representation of the practitioner's desired outcome. History The term ''sigil'' derives from the Latin (pl. ), meaning "seal". In medieval magic, the term ''sigil'' was commonly used to refer to occult signs which represented various angels and demons which the practitioner might summon. ''The Lesser Key of Solomon'' Magical training books called grimoires often listed pages of such sigils. A particularly well-known list is in ''The Lesser Key of Solomon'', in which the sigils of the 72 princes of the hierarchy of hell are given for the magician's use. Such sigils are considered by some to be the equivalent of the true name of the spirit and thus granted the magician a measure of control over the beings. Methods of construction A common ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ogoun
Ogun or Ogoun ( Yoruba: Ògún, Edo: Ògún, Portuguese: Ogum, Gu; also spelled Oggun or Ogou; known as Ogún or Ogum in Latin America) is a Yoruba Orisha that is adopted in several African religions. Ògún is a warrior and a powerful spirit of metal work, as well as of rum and rum-making. He is also known as the "god of iron" and is present in Yoruba religion, Santería, Haitian Vodou, West African Vodun, Candomblé, Umbanda and the folk religion of the Gbe people. He attempted to seize the throne after the demise of Ọbàtálá, who reigned twice, before and after Oduduwa, but was ousted by Obalufon Ogbogbodirin and sent on an exile – an event that serves as the core of the Ọlọ́jọ́ Festival. Yoruba religion In Yoruba religion, Ogun is a primordial orisha in Yoruba Land. In some traditions, he is said to have cleared a path for the other orisha to enter Earth, using a metal axe and with the assistance of a dog. To commemorate this, one of his praise names, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Damballa
Damballa, also spelled Damballah, Dambala, Dambalah, among other variations (), is one of the most important of all loa, spirits in West African Vodun, Haitian Voodoo and other African diaspora religious traditions such as Obeah. He is traditionally portrayed as a great white or black serpent, but may also be depicted as a rainbow. Damballa originated in the city of Wedo (Whydah or Ouidah) in modern-day Benin. Mythology Damballa is said to be the sky father and the primordial creator of all life, or the first thing created by the Bondye. In those Vodou societies that view Damballa as the primordial creator, he created the cosmos by using his 7000 coils to form the stars and the planets in the heavens and to shape the hills and valleys on Earth. In others, being the first thing created by God, creation was undertaken through him. By shedding the serpent skin, Damballa created all the waters on the Earth. As a serpent, he moves between land and water, generating life, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Baron Samedi
Baron Samedi (), also written Baron Samdi, Bawon Samedi or Bawon Sanmdi, is one of the lwa of Haitian Vodou. He is a lwa of the dead, along with Baron's numerous other incarnations Baron Cimetière, Baron La Croix and Baron Criminel. He is the head of the Gede family of lwa; his brothers are Azagon Lacroix and Baron Piquant. He is sometimes identified with Guede Nibo. Portrayal Baron Samedi is usually depicted with a top hat, black tail coat, dark glasses, and cotton plugs in the nostrils, as if to resemble a corpse dressed and prepared for burial in the Haitian style. He is frequently depicted as a skeleton (but sometimes as a black man that merely has his face painted as a skull), and speaks in a nasal voice. The former dictator of Haiti, François Duvalier, known as Papa Doc, modeled his cult of personality on Baron Samedi; he was often seen speaking in a deep nasal tone and wearing dark glasses. He is noted for disruption, obscenity, debauchery, and having a parti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ayizan
Ayizan (also Grande Ai-Zan, Aizan, or Ayizan Velekete, Aisa, Mama Aisa) is the loa of the marketplace and commerce in Vodou, especially in Benin, Haiti and Suriname. Background She is a racine, or root loa, associated with Vodoun rites of initiation (called kanzo). Just as her husband Loko is the archetypal houngan (priest), Ayizan is regarded as the first, or archetypal, mambo Mambo most often refers to: *Mambo (music), a Cuban musical form *Mambo (dance), a dance corresponding to mambo music Mambo may also refer to: Music * Mambo section, a section in arrangements of some types of Afro-Caribbean music, particul ... (priestess), and as such is also associated with priestly knowledge and mysteries, particularly those of initiation and the natural world. As the spiritual parents of the priesthood, she and her husband are two of the loa involved in the kanzo rites in which the priest/ess-to-be is given the asson (sacred rattle and tool of the priesthood) and are both ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Assistive Cane
An assistive cane is a walking stick used as a crutch or mobility aid. A cane can help redistribute weight from a lower leg that is weak or painful, improve stability by increasing the base of support, and provide tactile information about the ground to improve balance. In the US, ten percent of adults older than 65 years use a cane, and 4.6 percent use walkers. In contrast to crutches, canes are generally lighter, but, because they transfer the load through the user's unsupported wrist, are unable to offload equal loads from the legs. Another type of crutch is the walker, a frame held in front of the user and which the user leans on during movement. Walkers are more stable due to their increased area of ground contact, but are larger and less wieldy and, like canes, pass the full load through the user's wrists in most cases. Parts of medical canes The basic cane has four parts. These parts vary depending on the design of the cane and the needs of the user. * Handle. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Papa Legba
Papa Legba is a lwa, or loa, in West African Vodun and its diasporic derivatives ( Dominican Republic Vudú, Haitian Vodou, Louisiana Voodoo, and Winti), who serves as the intermediary between God and humanity. He stands at a spiritual crossroads and gives (or denies) permission to speak with the spirits of Guineé, and is believed to speak all human languages. In Haiti, he is the great elocutioner. Legba facilitates communication, speech, and understanding. He is commonly associated with dogs. Papa Legba is invoked at the beginning of every ceremony. Papa Legba has his origins in the historic West African kingdom of Dahomey, located within present-day Benin. Appearance He usually appears as an old man on a crutch or with a cane, wearing a broad-brimmed straw hat and smoking a pipe, or drinking dark rum. The dog is sacred to him. Legba is syncretized with Saint Peter, Saint Lazarus, and Saint Anthony. His ''veve'' incorporates a walking cane on the right side. Offerings to hi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
